This invention relates to the field of skateboards and more particularly is directed to flexible skateboards. In recent years the sport of skateboarding has become so popular among young persons that numerous competitive meets are held to determine those most proficient in the ability to maneuver the skateboard through various skateboard courses or tracks. Not only are skilled maneuvers required to successfully run a skateboard along a predetermined course, but also additional skilled maneuvers are necessary to accomplish various trick and unique movements.
However, in order to reach the maximum performance levels of those skilled in the sport it is necessary to have a skateboard which possesses the necessary structural characteristics for compatibility with the performance requirements of the various critical maneuvers. One of the more important features required in a skateboard is flexibility. In skateboard competition certain maneuvers require substantial flexibility in the skateboard while other maneuvers require essentially a rigid skateboard, or for other reasons a skateboarder may desire differing flexibility at different times. Consequently, when an individual is entering a competition or is using a skateboard for his own personal enjoyment, he is often forced to utilize two or three different skateboards each of which has the specific flexibility or rigidity required for the maneuver which the individual is to perform.
With the increased popularity of the skateboard, the wheel assembly design has been greatly improved including ball bearing arrangements as well as the overall truck design which carries the wheels and attaches to the skateboard. Consequently, the users of skateboards are able to obtain significant speeds on the skateboard. However, there has been a significant safety hazard with respect to the brackets utilized to attach the wheel assemblies to the skateboard. In many instances, due to the vibrations and fatigue experienced by the connection between the wheel assembly mounting bracket and the skateboard, failure has occurred, causing the wheel assembly to break off the board resulting in possible injury to the user. In most of the prior art, the skateboard is made of a wood or fiber material while the mounting brackets for the wheel assemblies are made of some type of metal which is bolted onto the board itself. It is the connection between the mounting bracket and the board that becomes loosened due to vibration and in some cases actually disconnects from the board.